Formidable Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Formidable Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 100.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,381 shares during the quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $1,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter valued at $3,656,000. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 59.7% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 35,285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,289,000 after buying an additional 13,196 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 38,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,222,000 after acquiring an additional 11,594 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 1,121.0% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 24,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,018,000 after acquiring an additional 22,107 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WFC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.13.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In related news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. The trade was a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $5,244,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Wells Fargo & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded WFC from “hold” to “buy” with a $94 price target, giving the stock a near-term positive catalyst and supporting the rally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes rising investor attention in WFC (analysis/flow of interest rather than new fundamental news); this can amplify moves but is not a direct fundamental catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo analysts trimmed coverage/price targets on other large names (Fiserv, Meta) this week—a sign the firm’s research desks are re?calibrating multiples across sectors rather than issuing bank?specific downgrades; this creates mixed headline flow for investors tracking analyst activity. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on WFC to $100 — a downward revision that injects some selling pressure and offsets part of the HSBC-driven buying. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own equity team lowered its year?end S&P 500 target and its strategist Ohsung Kwon warned markets will remain volatile in coming months—comments that strengthen a risk?off backdrop and can cap upside for bank stocks broadly. Article Title Article Title

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Shares of WFC opened at $80.75 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52-week low of $58.42 and a 52-week high of $97.76. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $86.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $249.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.06.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.10. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.The business had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.71%.

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, U.S.-based financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, the firm has evolved from its origins in express delivery and pioneer-era banking into one of the largest full-service banks in the United States. The company provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual, small business, commercial, and institutional clients. Charles W. Scharf serves as chief executive officer.

Wells Fargo operates across several core business segments, including consumer banking and lending, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.